Are Some Of Us Just Too Negative And Judgemental

Interesting post. I actually enjoy troubleshooting people's computer and electronics setup problems etc, I am not an expert but know some basic principles and I like looking things up online to get the answer if I don't know it. Sometimes I am paid for this, sometimes not. I like the challenge regardless.

You will notice how many people answer the I've got a computer problem threads here.

Ultimately, it depend on my mood at the time. Some days I read something someone posts
and I'm like "wow...what a stupid f...".

Other days I'll just help without a second thought about it.

What gets old is helping out when you know deep down inside 99.99999%
of the time the help goes in one ear and out the other and never gets used.

One of my biggest pet peeves in life ... wasting my time. It damages my calm.

In real life I see people asking questions with no real thought to the question.
I mean if they just thought about there own question for 10 seconds they
can answer it themselves... I see a LOT of that here.

When I get one of those questions in real life, I give the offender the "dead eye" stare.
I know it's a dick move, but inside I am laughing to myself as I watch them squirm.

Hard call. It's a forum and people have all sorts of reasons they'd rather ask here where they know a few people and chat a little about it rather than just go search it. Sometimes there are ulterior motives, but sometimes the "go google it" answer or "how lazy can you get" feeling just aren't right for the OP.

I ask a lot of tech questions in here. Probably could look it up (and sometimes do), but sometimes, because so many people know me and gear their answers to me, it's just easier to understand the answers I get here -- and I don't have to sift through mounds of irrelevant information to get to what I really want to know - yet if other questions come up, I can discuss them in the thread.

Maybe I'm a little bit more tolerant of newbies because I was so severely retarded in the use of technology when I hit the forums a decade back - not only technology but all areas of IM or internet itself. I had to have someone explain what google was and did when I turned the computer on a week or so before landing in this place, for cripes sakes. I have areas of expertise and solid experience that I can help newbs with since I oriented my skills to the online arena........and have learned a lot here about other crap, too -- but am still basically, and always will be basically, a techno-moron. It's nice to be able to come in and discuss stuff instead of always being on google about these things.

Asking general questions can be stupidity, it can be laziness - but it also can be a hunt for discussion about the issue at hand that you can't get from "searching" on google. I think what points out the hopelessly ignorant is when the questions are so general it becomes nonsensical to try to answer them at all.....and from what I see of those questions, later it turns out to be a subject that shows up in a sig file.

Many years ago a friend shared an interesting experience with me. He told an employee to take something to the post office and mail it. The employee, a grown man with children, asked how to do that. My friend asked him what he meant. The employee said he didn't know how to mail a letter. It was hard for my friend to even imagine that it was possible that a grown man had never been to the post office and mailed a letter.

At first we both talked about how incredibly stupid this guy must be. But afterwards I thought through this situation asking myself how it was possible and I came to a different conclusion.

Simple things like mailing a letter may be easy for us but we all started somewhere. The first time we went to mail a letter, I'm positive that almost 100% of us had to be told what to do: "go inside and look for the little slot that says Outgoing Mail and stick the envelope in the slot." Maybe we were 10 when our parents first asked us to mail the letter and since it's an easy concept to understand and to do, we then assume that everyone else knows. But we are all in different circumstances.

There is a first time for everything whether it's brain surgery, installing WordPress, knowing who to contact at Facebook, changing spark plugs, or walking the dog. Googling that last term will get you a lot of sites explaining in X steps how to walk a dog so there are people out there that don't know how to.

I love research and getting my own answers but the other day I asked a "stupid" grammar question - were vs. was because I was unclear even after trying to get the answer on my own.

So Johnny sees an ad somewhere about making money from home. He goes to the sales letter and he sees that people are making big bucks with CPA. He is excited at the possibility of new income. He searches Google for what is a CPA. Google says it's a certified public accountant on its first page. Johnny was thinking the sales letter said he didn't need any education but all these sites say you need a degree and license.

Johnny is confused at this so he comes here to ask. When he does, some try to help him out. Some of those have signatures and some don't. Some are negative and call him an idiot. Some tell him to RTFM (search Google) but that's what confused him in the first place.

Yes, in my opinion. This is different, however, than tough love that some dish out when they feel it is warranted. Many times when I do the tough love bit I have hope that this one can figure it out. Most of the time I'm wrong. But my hope in answering is that it might help someone out like Johnny. Does it get tiring, yes. However, I can control that by the threads I open and choose to respond to.

Mark

I have a gut feeling Warrior Forum is hiring India to post simple questions in order to keep the forum active.

I'm seeing a lot of the one liner questions that can be answered with a Google search. Those same questions/threads/OPs don't get moderated.

I am.. i try not to be.. but the negativity or disadvantages of somethings are the first thing that i see..
its a bad habit.. which i am desperately trying to quit

It's amazing how little effort people will put into solving their own problems.

Only a tiny portion will realize they can look something up on youtube or google and take the initiative. The rest want to be spoonfed. I've read many posts sharing stories of people getting mad if an expert doesn't personalize a response in PM and such.

Most posts just aren't a fit, on topic or in the detail of the question asked, for me to answer. The times I see a post where it's clear the person has done some trial and error of their own, I really want to help. When I do respond, I'm also thinking, "Well, maybe there are 10 other people who would like to know the answer to this question, but are afraid to ask." So I'm not just writing for the OP.

I think there should be a realization in the differences in literacy levels and English language command between long term WF members and newer members from other countries.

A friend of mine is a pilot who interviewed for jobs in China and other overseas jobs. China
has a huge amount of their population that has had little or no education. Native Chinese
cab drivers would call each other for help with translating and getting directions.

Whenever I hear someone say :"I don't know who Duke Nukem is".
I snicker.

When people do not just try to figure things out, I think fear of doing it wrong, or "breaking
something" is a huge factor. Darn "helicopter parents".

The most patient person on the Forum is Big Frank.

He loves to answer stupid questions.

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Holy shit! Sling Blade is 20 years old. I'm officially one step closer to the grave.